Self-erecting easel



April 12, 1949. H. A. COWLES ET AL 2,467,190

' SELF-ERECTING EASEL Filed Oct. 5, 1945 FIG.1. FIG. 2. FIG. 3.

HAROLD A COWLES MLTON DOWLING INVENTORS YCLJJQM A A TTORNE Y Patented Apr. 12 1949 SELF-ERECTING EASEL Harold A. Cowles and Milton Earle Dowling, Rochester, N. Y.; said Dowling assignor to said Cowles Application October 5, 1945, Serial No. 620,430

Claims.

The present invention relates to easels such as are attached to the back of pictures, calendars, or advertising displays for holding them in an upstanding position. Such easels, especially those on advertising displays, must be inexpensive, yet sturdy enough to hold the display securely. In the past, easels which have been so designed as to be rapidly erected have usually been insecure, while those easels which have been secure and firm have usually required more or less complicated manipulation by the fingers, in order to erect them.

An object of the present invention is the provision of a self-erecting easel which can be easily set up without any special manipulation, and which locks itself securely in erected position so as to hold the article to which it is attached in an upright position without danger of accidental collapse.

Another object is the provision of an easel which, while having the above-mentioned characteristics of ease and quickness of erection, is at the same time inexpensive and easy to manu-- facture, and easy to apply to the advertising display or other article to which it is to be attached.

Still another object is the provision of an easel so designed and constructed that it may be manufactured in quantity by an establishment specializing in the production of such easels, and may be shipped in compact form to the advertising display printer or other establishment needing easels, and may be easily and quickly applied by such other establishment to the advertising display.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a quick erecting and self-locking easel made entirely from a single piece of fiber board, cardboard, or the like, by a die cutting operation, and so designed that it may be entirely cut by a single press operation, without requiring multiple operations.

These and other desirable objects are accomplished by the construction disclosed as an illustrative embodiment of the invention in the following description and in the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, in which:

Fig. 1 is a rear elevation of a display with the easel of the present invention in collapsed posi- Fig. 2 is an edge view of the display showing the easel in collapsed position in full lines, and illustrating the opening of the easel in dotted mes;

Fig. 3 is a plan of the easel in the initial fiat form in which it is manufactured; and

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a display with the easel in fully erected position.

The same reference numerals throughout the several views indicate the same parts.

Referring now to the drawings, there is indicated at H a diagrammatic illustration of any rial. It is noted that 2 advertising card or display, picture, calendar, etc., with which an easel is to be used to hold the member II in an approximately upright but slightly inclined position.

The easel of the present invention comprises, as best seen in Fig. 3, a single piece of fiber board,

cardboard, or the like, cut and scored to provide a central portion [3 separated by the score line l5 from a tongue portion H, the end of which is tapered as at 19 and which terminates in laterally extending lugs or hooks 2| as shown.

At the opposite end of the central section l3, there is another score line 25 separating the section l3 from a foot section 21 of rectangular outline. This foot section, near its middle, is out along three sides as indicated at 29 to form a locking section 3| of generally rectangular but slightly tapered form, hinged to the foot section 21 at the score line 33; Near the base or hinged end of the locking section 3| are lateral cutouts 35, the material of which is entirely removed and discarded so that these cut-outs form lateral notches at the upper end of the space left in the foot member 21 when the locking member 3| is displaced out of the plane of the member 21.

The score lines l5 and 25 and 33 may be either pressed scores or cut scores, depending on the material from which the easel is constructed, and the thickness thereof. The scores should be of such a character that the material may be easily bent at the score lines but will retain a reasonable amount of resiliency and will tend to spring back to original plane position when displaced therefrom by bending at the score line. Good results have been attained by making the easel from cardboard or chip board having a thickness of about forty points (one point being 0.001 of an inch) using cut scores at the points I5, 25, and 33, each score being out about one-third of the way through the thickness of the mateall of the cuts of these scores extend in from the same face of the material, so that a single die cutting operation suffices for forming the entire easel, without the necessity of turning the material over to cut any scores on the opposite face.

Ihe portion I3 of the easel may be affixed to the member I l in any suitable manner, as for example by stapling, but it is'preferred to provide this portion l3 with adhesive, either of the pressure-sensitive type or of the moistening type, so that the easel assembly may be quickly and easily applied to the display with which it is to be used. For example, the manufacturer of the easel (who is not necessarily the manufacturer of the complete display) preferably applies gum or mucilage to the portion l3 of the easel, either over the entire area of the portion l3, or to two separate areas 4i and 43 at the two ends thereof, as shown in Fig. 3. Then a supply of the easels is shipped, either in flat form or folded, to the printer or other person who is to make up the advertisin displays, and he moistens the adhesive 4|, 43 and then presses the easel against the back of the display ll, whereupon it adheres thereto.

The easel, in its initial closed form, has the tongue portion l1 folded back through 130 about its hinge line l5, to lie against the back of the central portion l3, and the foot portion 2! is likewise folded back about its hinge line 25 through approximately 180, to lie on the back of the central portion It. In folding these parts I! and 2'! back on their hinge lines, the locking member 3| is also folded inwardly about its hinge line 33, to displace it inwardly from the plane of the member 21, and lies next to the rear side of the central portion l3. Then the tongue Portion l1 comes next, overlying the portion 3|, and finally, on top of the tongue portion I1, lies the foot portion 21. When the parts are all folded down to collapsed position, the lateral hooks 2| of the tongue portion lie in the cut out spaces 35, as indicated in Fig. 1, and the entire assembly is relatively flat, occupying only a thin space on the rear side of the main display member ll, so that a quantity of such display members with easels attached may be readily stacked without occupying an undue volume.

To erect the easel, the main display member II is picked up and held approximately level, with the collapsed easel on the under side thereof. Ordinarily, the natural resiliency remaining in t e sc re li e 5 2 d .3 a ed b the f rc ot gravity due to the weight of the parts 11, 21, and 3 I, will immediately cause these parts to tend to spring out, away from the back of the member ll. If the resilience of the hinge joints and the force of gravity is not sufficient, a single flip of the wrist is all that is required to cause the parts to spring to erect position.

In the action of erection, the foot member 21 and the tongue member I! simultaneously swing outwardly away from the back of the central portion I3 of the easel structure. The lateral hooks 2| on the tongue I! assume a position outside (or to the rear of) the foot member 21, while the rest of the tongue member remains ins de or to the front of the foot member 21, and the locking member 3| remains inside or above the tongue member H, with the bottom end of the locking member resting on top of and sliding over the upper face of the tongue member 17, The outward swinging motion of the parts continues until the tongue member I! swings down to the bottom of the large opening or slot in the foot member 27', which stops further downward motion of the tongue member, and until the foot member 21 swings outwardly into contact with the lateral hooks 2| on the tongue member, which stops further outward swinging of the foot member, In this position, the foot member 21 and the tongue member I! are approx mately perpendicular to each other. Simultaneously with these two outward swinging movements of the members H and 21, the locking member 3| swings rearwardly about its hinge 33, with the bottom ed e thereof scraping over the top surface of the tongue 11 until it reaches nearly but not quite a perpendicular position with respect to the tongue member 11, at which time the locking member 3| wedges or jams on the top surface of the tongue member H, which prevents further outward swinging movement of the locking member 3| toward the plane of the foot member 211. The locking member 3] in this wedged position prevIll) 4 vents upward motion of the tongue member, while the tapered portion 19 of the tongue member prevents inward collapsing motion of the foot member 21.

Hence, in the erected position all the parts of the easel are interlocked with each other and cannot be displaced from erected position without first forcibly pushing the lower end of the locking member 3f in toward the back of the display member H, releasing the tongue member It so that it can fold upwardly toward the back of the display I I and thus allow the foot member 31 to fold downwardly toward the back of the display I I. The foot member 2'! acts as a strut extending obliquely downwardly and rearwardly from the article to be supported to the flat supporting surface, while the tongue member Il may be described as a tie member holding the strut a ainst w n ing movement.

In Fig. 2 theinitial collapsed position of the parts is shown in full lines, while the first set of dotted lines indicated at A shows the position of the parts in the early stages of the erection of the easel, and the other set of dotted lines B indicates the parts in their final erected position. Fig. 4 also shows the parts in their final erected position.

It is to be noted that the foot member 2'5 has a broad flat lower edge which furnishes adequate support for the display H against sideways tilting, as well as against falling rearwardly. In fact, with the broad fiat foot 21, this easel may be efiectively used on advertising displays which have a curved lower edge (such as a circular or elliptical disk) and which are, consequently, unstable in a lateral direction.

The ease of applying the easel to the display is enhanced by proportioning the parts so that, when the easel is folded up to its collapsed position, the lower edge of the foot portion 2'! comes flush with or just above the lower edge of the display member II, as indicated in Fig. 1. With this arrangement, the lower edge of the foot member 21 serves as a guide for positioning the easel structure on the back of the display member. It is a Very easy matter to moisten the adhesive 41 and 43 of the already collapsed easel, and then to press the easel on the back of the display ll a position with the bottom edge of the easel riush with or just above the bottom of the member Ll, as shown. It is then known that the easel is properly placed on the member H, and no speeial measurements or guide marks are needed for the placing thereof,

The purpose of tapering the sides of the locking member 3| is so that the hole or slot in the foot member 21 which receives the end of the tongue I? wi incre se l h ly n wid n a ow w rd dir ct n. o b iat any accidental st c o the tongue I! at an intermediate position in this opening as the ease] is being erected. With a sllghttaper of a few degrees, as shown, the neck portion of the tongue I! (just behind the hooks Zl) slides smoothly down the entire length of the opening or slot left by the displacement of the locking member 3| out of the plane of the foot member 21. The taper of the portion 19 of the tongue I! is considerably greater, however, than the taper of the locking member 3|, the taper l 9 being for the purpose of providing shoulders or abutment surfaces for holding the foot member I! outwardly in its fully erected position and preventing inward swinging thereof toward the member H. The function of the cut-outs 3,5 is to provide a wide portion of the slot so that the hooks 2| of the tongue portion may readily pass through this wide portion during the initial collapsing or folding up of the easel from the flat form shown in Fig. 3 to the collapsed form shown in Fig. 1 and in full lines in Fig. 2.

It is seen from the foregoing disclosure that a construction is provided which admirably fulfills the above-mentioned objects of the invention. It is to be understood that the foregoing disclosure is given by way of illustrative example only, rather than by way of limitation, and that without departing from the invention, the construction may be varied within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is.

1. A self-erecting easel for supporting an article in an upstanding position on a flat surface, said easel including a strut member hinged to said article at an elevation substantially above the bottom thereof and resiliently tending to swing rearwardly from said article so as to extend in an oblique direction downwardly and rearwardly from its hinge toward said flat surface, said strut member having a slot therein, a tie member hinged to said article near the bottom thereof and resiliently tending to swing rearwardly from said article, said tie member having a free end lying approximately in the upper end of said slot when the easel is collapsed and being adapted to slide down the length of said slot in said strut member to the bottom thereof as said easel is moved from collapsed position to erected position and having abutment portions engaging said strut member to hold said strut member from swinging movement about its hinge when said tie member is at the low end of said slot, and a locking member hinged to said strut member and extending downwardly therefrom into engagement with the upper surface of said tie member to hold said tie member immovably in tying relation to said strut member.

2. A self-erecting easel for holding an article in an upstanding position on a flat support, said easel comprising a single piece of fibrous sheet material cut, scored, and folded to provide a central section for attachment to the rear face of said article to be supported, a strut section hinged to said central section by a score line at the upper end of said central section and extending downwardly therefrom, said strut section resiliently tending to swing rearwardly away from said central section, a locking section cut from said strut section along three sides and resiliently hinged to said strut section along a fourth side, said locking section when displaced from the plane of said strut section leaving an open slot in said strut section, and a tongue section resiliently hinged to said central section by a score line at the bottom of said central section, said tongue section resiliently tending to swing rearwardly away from said central section, said parts when collapsed being capable of folding so that said locking section lies against the back of said central section, said tongue section overlies said locking section, and said strut section overlies said tongue section, and said parts resiliently tending to swing outwardly away from said central section so that said strut section will stand at a substantial angle to said central section, said tongue section will likewise stand at a substantial angle to said central section and approximately perpendicular to said strut section to engage in the slot in said strut section to hold the strut section against swinging movement, and said locking section will wedge against said tongue section to hold said tongue section in effective position.

3. A collapsible easel adapted to be erected from a folded collapsed position to an erected and locked position by the resiliency and inertia of the parts when the easel is subjected to a sudden movement, said easel when erected being adapted to support an article in an upstanding position on a flat surface, said easel including a strut section resiliently hinged to the article to be supported at a substantial elevation above the bottom thereof, a tongue section resiliently hinged to said article near the bottom thereof, and a locking section partially cut from said strut section and resiliently hinged to said strut section near the top thereof, said locking section when displaced from the plane of said strut section leaving a slot of substantial length in said strut section, said tongue section having a narrow neck portion capable of extending through and sliding longitudinally along said slot, said parts being of such dimensions that when they are folded to collapsed position they lie substantially flat against each other with the locking section innermost, the tongue section outside of the locking section, and the strut section outside of the tongue section, and with the neck portion of the tongue section approximately at the top of said slot, so that when said parts are subjected to a sudden movement in a direction approximately perpendicular to the general planes of the folded parts, the resiliency of the hinge joints and the inertia of the parts will cause all three of said sections to swing outwardly, the neck portion of the tongue section P; sliding downwardly along said slot to the bottom thereof and the bottom end of the locking section sliding along the top surface of the tongue section toward the outer end thereof to wedge the tongue section into fixed position at the bottom of said slot.

4. A construction as described in claim 3, in which said slot has a portion of gradually increasing width from an intermediate point of its length to the bottom thereof, to assist easy downward sliding of said neck portion along said slot.

5. A construction as described in claim 3, in which said tongue section has a wider portion outwardly beyond said neck portion, and in which said slot at its upper end has a wide portion sufficient to accommodate said wider portion of said tongue section when the parts are in collapsed position, said slot below said wide portion being narrower than said wider portion but wider than said neck portion of said tongue section.

HAROLD A. COWLES. MILTON EARLE DOWLING.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 289,799 Barnes Dec. 11, 1883 568,090 Lindemeyer Sept. 22, 1896 673,904 Hartmann May 14, 1901 1,117,655 Fox et al. Nov. 17, 1914 1,545,771 Hout July 14, 1925 1,651,748 Blyth Dec. 6, 1927 1,803,511 Shanholtzer May 5, 1931 2,115,449 Pradt Apr. 26, 1938 2,181,390 Barrett Nov. 28, 1939 2,232,466 McKeown Feb. 18, 1941 

